Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell believes clubs need to have more faith in giving Scottish youngsters a crack at first team football, after concerning statistics showed a lack of action for homegrown talent.
A Sunday Mail report revealed that this season over half of the Scottish Premiership clubs have given a league start to just one player aged 21 or younger and the likes of Celtic, Hibs and Kettlewell's old club, Ross County, sit on zero.
Motherwell lead the way in terms of opportunities for youngsters, with 19-year-old Max Johnston, 21-year-old Dean Cornelius and 20-year-old Leeds United loanee Stuart McKinstry regularly featuring and racking up 29 appearances between them.
Managers fearing for their jobs may be one reason clubs tend to go for more experience as a rule, but Kettlewell - who came through the Queen's Park academy - said: "It's something I've been a huge believer in [playing young players]. "I went through an academy at Queen's Park where that promotion of young players is fundamental. “I saw those stats myself and I would love some way to see if myself as a manager and Motherwell as a football club can try and redress that in some way, even if it's just a small part. “As we all know, there’s so much pressure on managers. "But I think when you have those talented players you believe in, I personally don’t think it’s a difficult decision to make.